Honoring the Life and Legacy of Adam Risvold

Celebrating Adam’s Spirit of Adventure and Love for Skiing

In 1988, a 4-year-old boy named Adam Risvold clicked into his first pair of skis and took off down Buck Hill. From that first run, skiing became his passion, his peace, and his lifelong joy.

Buck Hill was where Adam discovered his love for skiing, his sense of freedom, and the thrill of flying down a slope with nothing but snow beneath him and sky above. It’s where friendships were formed, laughter echoed, and dreams began. Now, that same hill that sparked his love for skiing will forever carry his memory.

This season, the Steve and Char Risvold have funded six new and two refurbished freestyle park features at Buck Hill in loving memory of Adam. Designed for all abilities, from first-time riders to advanced park enthusiasts, these new features celebrate Adam’s adventurous spirit and the community he cherished. Each feature will proudly display a plaque reading “In Memory of Adam Risvold.”

The Spirit of Adam

Adam was, in every sense, one of a kind. His smile could brighten any space, his laugh was contagious, and his kindness was boundless. He had a way of making everyone feel like a close friend, because to him, they were.

Adam was creative, thoughtful, and full of humor. Friends describe him as a “hobo wizard”, a free-spirited mix of wisdom, mischief, and heart. He loved deep conversation, art, good music, and the rush of mountain air. He lived life with intention, curiosity, and an unshakable sense of authenticity.

He had a special love for terrain parks – hitting rails, catching air, and sharing the moment with friends. Those bluebird days, full of laughter and challenge, were his favorite. Adam’s kindness and love for life made him unforgettable. Though his time here was far too short, his impact endures in the lives he touched, the laughter he sparked, and the snow he loved so much.

Turning Grief Into Legacy

After Adam’s passing, his family searched for ways to keep his memory alive in a way that reflected who he was – joyful, fearless, and full of heart. “Immediately after Adam’s passing, our friend Pastor Jeff Marian told us to feel the grief and lean into it,” recalls his father, Steve Risvold. “That feeling is our love for Adam. Holding on to it keeps us close, but sharing it allows his story to live on in others.”

Two years ago, Buck Hill introduced Adam’s Box, a park feature built in his honor. Since then, thousands of skiers and snowboarders have ridden across it, each one unknowingly becoming part of his legacy. That single feature inspired the Risvold family to expand the project into something even greater.

This winter, they’re funding the creation of six new freestyle park features, manufactured by Coastal Jibs, each bearing Adam’s name and the refurbishment of two existing park features. These features will offer progression for all skill levels, helping skiers and riders learn, grow, and fall in love with freestyle terrain the same way Adam did. Through these new additions, Adam’s legacy continues as a living, riding, sliding celebration of joy.

Buck Hill: Where Adam’s Story Began

Buck Hill was where Adam learned to ski and where he learned to dream. “Buck Hill was his foundation,” says Steve. “It’s where his love of skiing took hold, the springboard to countless mountains, friendships, and adventures that followed.”

The Risvold family sees this project as a way to give back to the community that gave Adam his start. “The Buck Hill community has been a source of strength for our family,” says Char Risvold, Adam’s mother. “Through this project, we give back a piece of Adam to every new skier and snowboarder. Each fall, each laugh, each small victory on these hills carries his spirit forward, reminding us all that beginnings matter.”

Today, Adam’s nieces and nephews are learning to ski on the same runs he once did, a beautiful reminder that his spirit still guides the family and that his joy continues to ripple through generations.

A Celebration on the Slopes

To celebrate Adam’s life and the unveiling of the new park features, Buck Hill will host the Adam Risvold Fun Jam on Thursday, December 18th.

This free event will be a day of community, riding, and remembrance – a chance for skiers and snowboarders to come together in the spirit of fun that Adam embodied. Riders of all levels are invited to experience the new features, share stories, and enjoy a day dedicated to friendship, laughter, and movement.

More details will be announced soon, but one thing is certain: the Fun Jam will capture everything Adam loved most – freedom, camaraderie, and joy in motion.

The Legacy of Joy

Stand at the base of Buck Hill on a bright winter morning and you’ll feel it – laughter echoing across the slopes and the sound of skis carving and snowboards gliding. In those moments, Adam’s spirit is everywhere. He’s there in the courage it takes to try something new. He’s there in the friendships made on the chairlift. He’s there in every smile that comes from sliding across the snow.

Through these park features, Adam’s love of life continues to inspire. His story will encourage countless others to fall in love with the same sport, the same hill, and the same boundless sense of possibility. This is a gift. A reminder that passion doesn’t fade, and love doesn’t end. It changes form, finding new ways to move, to teach, and to bring joy.

For the Risvold family, these park features are a living reflection of Adam’s heart. The new freestyle elements will soon become favorite spots for riders of all levels – places where laughter, progress, and community come together. And every time someone rides them, Adam’s story will continue.

As Steve so beautifully said, “Each fall, each laugh, each small victory on these hills carries Adam’s spirit forward – reminding us all that beginnings matter.” Because Buck Hill was Adam’s beginning. And now, it will forever carry his memory—guiding every skier and snowboarder who finds joy here, just as he once did.

Adam Christopher Risvold | June 20th, 1984 – August 10th, 2022

He lived with fearless adventure, a gift for laughter, and a heart full of kindness. This hill was his beginning and now it forever carries his memory.

TIME TO GET BACK ON SNOW!

Winter is officially here, and we’re fired up to get back on snow! Buck Hill opens back up Friday, December 5th at 3:00 PM and the early-season energy is already buzzing. Time to dust off the gear, layer up, and kick off another year of skiing and riding!

Snowmaking continues through the weekend on the southern end of the resort. As soon as snow depth allows, we’ll expand terrain – keep an eye out for updates.

Below is everything you need to know before you roll up.

Ski and Snowboard Operating Schedule:

Friday, December 5th | 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday, December 6th | 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday, December 7th | 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Starting Saturday, we roll into Regular Season Hours at regular lift ticket rates. Terrain for the weekend remains consistent all three days.

Terrain, Parks & Lifts:

Snowmaking is still cranking across the hill, and while the list below reflects our plan, terrain may shift based on snowmaking progress or any unexpected mechanical issues. See Trail Map HERE

Trails: Crossroads, Little Jibber, Milk Run, Redtail Ridge, Schoolyard, Teachers Pet, & Woodchuck Way

Parks: Little Jibber, Lower Redtail Ridge, & Never-Ever

Lifts: Jibber Rope Tow, Lookout- Quad Chair, Magic Carpet, Redtail Ridge Rope Tow, Snow Day- Triple Chair, & Wonder Carpet

Lift Ticket Rates:

Grab your lift tickets and rentals online (HERE) to get a discounted rate and save time on arrival!

Friday, December 5th: $45 Onsite | $35 Online
Saturday & Sunday: Regular Season Rates

Rentals: $35 online / $45 onsite

Snow Tubing:

Tubing lanes will be open for the weekend with regular season hours and rates. Buy tickets HERE.

Friday, December 5th | 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday, December 6th | 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday, December 7th | 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Buck ‘54 Bar & Grill Hours:

Friday, December 5th: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Saturday, December 6th | 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Sunday, December 7th | 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Monday, December 8th & Beyond | Regular Season Hours

Ticket Office Hours:

Friday, December 5th | 3:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday, December 6th | 8:30 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday, December 7th | 8:30 AM – 9:00 PM
Monday, December 8th & Beyond | Regular Season Hours

SnowSports Center / Ski School Hours:

Friday, December 5th | 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM (Season Pass pick-up & guest services)
Saturday, December 6th | 8:30 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday, December 7th | 8:30 AM – 9:00 PM
Monday, December 8th & Beyond | Regular Season Hours

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THE ONLY DEAL WINTER NEEDS

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Winter comes on fast in Minnesota, and so does the only deal that truly stretches your season further. Buck Hill’s Cyber Week Sale runs Monday, December 1st through Sunday, December 7th, 2025 and this year’s offer gives skiers and snowboarders a simple way to get more out of every visit: buy a Buck Hill E-Gift Card and get 20% of the value added on for FREE!

This is bonus fuel for your season. That extra 20% can go toward lift tickets, season passes, ski or snowboard lessons, rental equipment, snow tubing sessions, merchandise, or food and beverage inside the main chalet. You can use it online, in the ticket office, at ski school, and throughout the resort – anywhere except Buck ’54 Bar & Grill. If you spend money at Buck Hill, this deal stretches it farther.

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Cyber Week is also the perfect time to take care of the skiers and riders on your holiday list. Give them a gift card that immediately comes with built-in extra value. It’s easy, instant, and delivers something every winter enthusiast actually wants: more laps, more progress, more time on snow.

If you’re planning a full season, a few peak days, or a couple of family outings, this sale delivers value you’ll actually use. But it doesn’t last because the Cyber Week Sale closes on December 7th, 2025!

Secure the added value now, load up your winter, and let Buck Hill give you more room to ski and ride. Purchase your e-gift card before Cyber Week ends!

Winter is Loading…

Around the region, you’ve probably heard the chatter of snow guns firing at other resorts. And while we’ve been a little quieter here at Buck Hill, it’s not because we’re sitting back. We’ve been waiting—patiently and purposefully—for the right window to open the floodgates and begin our push into winter.

Here’s the truth: Buck Hill operates a little differently than most ski areas. While some resorts have the luxury of pulling water from a private well, reservoir, or lake—sources that are naturally cold and ideal for snowmaking—we pull directly from the Burnsville water tower. Tower water runs warmer than lake or well water, which means we need colder temps to get the water temp down to where it produces the quality snow we’re known for.

That also means every single gallon we use is metered, just like at your house. At full throttle, our snowmaking system moves nearly 5,000 gallons of water per minute, and when you’re using that kind of volume, you have to be smart—both for the environment and for your operating budget.

Two weeks ago, we did have a small window where we could have made snow. But with daytime temps soaring into the 50s and 60s shortly after—and even rain in the forecast—we opted out. Dumping thousands of gallons onto the hill only to watch it melt a few days later doesn’t help us build the kind of base our guests expect, and it certainly doesn’t deliver the long-term quality we’re known for. We’re committed to creating a product that lasts—not just a quick photo op.

Trust me, it breaks my heartbreak when I see comments online asking why we aren’t open yet or why we’re not making snow. No one wants to fire up the guns more than our team. But at Buck Hill, we pride ourselves on building a base with excellence, not just a base that exists.

And when winter hits, we’ll be ready.

The Week Ahead

This week’s forecast is finally giving us something to smile about. Temperatures are trending in the right direction, and our goal is to fire up snowmaking no later than Wednesday night. Once we start, we’re planning to push as long and as hard as the temps allow.

Our hope, is to open the weekend after Thanksgiving with at least some terrain available. The amount of terrain will depend heavily on the day/night temperature spread, but we’re committed to getting as much open as possible, as soon as possible, without sacrificing quality.

The team is locked in. The guns are ready. The hoses are staged. And our snowfarmers are itching to get out there, take up their “paintbrushes,” and turn this hill into the winter canvas we all love.

And if the thought of snowmaking starting up this week isn’t enough to get you stoked… here’s a little cherry on top as we look ahead to the season.

We are incredibly honored to share that the Risvold family has generously donated six brand-new terrain park features, and funded the refurbishment of two existing features in memory of their son, Adam Risvold. Their gift allows us to continue growing and elevating our parks in a meaningful way. These new features are being professionally designed and crafted by Coastal Jibs out of Quebec, Canada, and they’re going to add an incredible new dimension to our park sets. We’ll be unveiling them at a special rail event on Thursday, December 18th. Stay tuned as we will be providing more information in the coming weeks.

Winter is right around the corner.

Stay Rad,

Nate Birr
President | COO

SMALL HILL, BIG DREAMS

On a crisp winter evening at Buck Hill, the lights ignite the snow with a clean, white glow. The Kildow’s Climb rope tow hums steadily, pulling racer after racer back to the top. A young athlete – let’s call her Emma – clicks back into her bindings for another lap. She’s only ten, but her eyes carry the same quiet determination that has lived in the hearts of Buck Hill Ski Racing Team athletes for generations.

Her run will be quick. Buck Hill is not known for long descents or towering summit views. Instead, it is known for something far more meaningful: intentional design, world-class coaching, constant progression, and a training environment so dialed-in that a tiny hill in Burnsville, Minnesota has produced Olympians, US Ski Team members, World Cup racers, NCAA champions, and countless national contenders.

Emma may not know all of this yet, but she is learning the rhythms of greatness in a place built specifically for it. And that is what makes Buck Hill different.

The Unique Triunion Structure

While Emma waits for her coach’s signal, much of her future success is already in motion behind the scenes. Buck Hill operates through a three-part structure that does not exist anywhere else in U.S. ski racing: the Hill, the Team, and the Club – three organizations aligned around one mission of “Inspiring athletes to pursue their dreams through ski racing.”

Most mountains, race teams, and booster clubs function independently, balancing different priorities, budgets, and goals. At Buck Hill, the partnership is woven tightly together. The ski area itself, Buck Hill Inc. owns and maintains the facilities, employs the coaching staff, and commits significant resources to snowmaking, grooming, early-season access, lane maintenance, and operational support. Because the Hill and Team share leadership, the focus is never split. When athletes need a surface prepared, a lane widened, or lighting upgrades to push training into the night, the Hill invests directly into those improvements.

The Buck Hill Ski Racing Team, staffed entirely by Hill employees, is responsible for delivering the coaching and curriculum that turn raw talent into refined skill. It is here that athletes like Emma learn the foundational technical elements – position, balance, movement, and touch and feel. As they progress, the Team’s structured Sport Performance Plans guide the athlete’s development with the precision of a long-term blueprint, adjusting training goals, technical focuses, and racing schedules as athletes advance through U12, U14, U16, FIS-level racing, and beyond.

Supporting it all is the Buck Hill Ski Racing Club, a nonprofit fundraising organization that keeps the cost of opportunity within reach. The Club provides financial contributions toward team fees, funds capital improvements, supports camp opportunities, and helps send athletes and coaches to championship races across the country. For families, it means a more affordable pathway; for the Team, it means stability; for athletes, it means access.

Together, the Hill, the Team, and the Club create a structure that accelerates athlete development in a way few programs can match.

The Making of a Champion

Emma finishes her run, skis to her coach, and listens as he breaks down her timing into simple, actionable steps. She nods, visualizes the course again, and hurries up the rope tow for another lap. These micro-moments, lap after lap after lap, are where Buck Hill racers are made.

By the time Emma reaches her teenage years, her training environment will have grown with her. Strength and conditioning programs will guide her through movement fundamentals and injury prevention. Video sessions in the Team Room and at camps will help her dissect edge angles, hip position, and line choice. She’ll attend fall dryland, Christmas camp, and out-of-division projects that expose her to new terrain and higher-level competition. Each layer is part of a holistic progression built from decades of coaching wisdom and continuous innovation.

Her world will expand even further as the Hill, Team, and Club evolves through the ambitious Olympic Dreams Project, a multi-phase plan designed to elevate training facilities and create one of the country’s most advanced ski race environments. The project includes widening the iconic Olympic Dreams run, upgrading lighting and snowmaking, adding new terrain elements and safety systems, and developing a high-performance center with weight rooms, media spaces, athlete lounges, and coaching offices. For athletes like Emma, it means their dreams will be met with the infrastructure needed to pursue them.

Where History and Future Converge

Buck Hill’s legacy is more than lore, it is a blueprint. Under the legendary leadership of the late Ski Hall of Fame coach Erich Sailer, the Buck Hill Ski Racing Team grew into a global pipeline of talent. Thousands of racers passed through this program, carrying its values of Effort, Grit, and Courage into every race course and every chapter of their careers.

Today’s leadership honors that heritage while pushing relentlessly toward the future. They recognize that the sport is evolving, becoming more complex, more technical, more demanding. To meet that challenge, Buck Hill is continuously updating its training philosophies, expanding year-round offerings, and investing in both people and infrastructure to cultivate the next generation of champions.

Dreams That Take Flight on a Small Hill

Late in the evening, the crowds thin and the cold settles deeper into the snow. Emma makes one last pass down the fall line and carves clean arcs without making a single snow plume behind her. She doesn’t yet know where this sport will take her. But she is learning what countless Buck Hill athletes have learned before her, that greatness can grow anywhere, even on a 300-foot hill in Minnesota, if the structure behind it is strong enough.

And at Buck Hill, that structure is unlike anything else in the country.

Here, young athletes don’t just learn to ski race.

They learn to dream and to chase those dreams with Effort, Grit, and Courage.

FROM PIZZA TO PARALLEL

Learning to ski is a confidence-boosting adventure your child will remember forever. At Buck Hill, our instructors turn those first wobbly steps on snow into a fun, structured journey that helps kids build skills at their own pace. 

From mastering the “pizza” to discovering the thrill of parallel turns, each ski lesson is designed to be playful and encouraging in a reduced risk environment. As your child explores more of the hill, their confidence grows right alongside their technique. If you’re ready to give them a winter filled with progress, pride, and big smiles, a Buck Hill ski lesson is the perfect place to start.

Step 1: The First Slides

The journey starts on gentle slopes, where kids get used to the feeling of standing, gliding, and stopping. They learn how to control speed with that trusty “pizza” stance (wedging the skis into a triangle). Our instructors turn learning into fun games and challenges.

Step 2: Building Balance and Confidence

Once kids are comfortable, the focus shifts to balance and smooth turns. They learn to move from “pizza” to “french fries” skis parallel and start linking turns together. Instructors use encouragement and repetition to help progress feel natural. The key is positive reinforcement: cheering for every small win and helping them up with a smile when things don’t go perfectly.

Step 3: Exploring More of the Hill

As skills grow, so does the adventure. Kids graduate from standing on the carpet conveyor lifts and start riding chairlifts, tackling slightly steeper terrain, and exploring more of Buck Hill. They begin to understand the rhythm of skiing, that effortless flow that comes with practice and confidence. Each lesson builds on the last from lessons (Levels 1-6), turning hesitant first-timers into proud young skiers who can’t wait to hit the hill again.

Learning in a Supportive Environment

Every Buck Hill instructor knows that progress happens best when kids are having fun. Lessons are structured, but flexible enough to match every personality and learning pace. If it’s your kid’s first day on skis or their fifth season, your child will leave smiling and skiing better than before.

Ready to see your child’s confidence grow turn by turn? Book their ski or snowboard lessons at Buck Hill today.

Book Youth Private Lessons HERE